I had enjoyed the previous week with daily visits to the St Aldhelms patch. Finally, as it was a nice Sunday evening, I popped down to Kimmeridge to see the Juv Pectoral Sandpiper that had been found the previous day. I'm glad I made the effort. It was happily feeding on the tideline and with care was reasonably approachable.
There was a Pectoral Sandpiper found on the RSPB Arne Moors on 10 Sep. Given the lack of public access to Arne Moors, then it could well be the same individual and have been there since it left Kimmeridge. It was present until 12 Sep, when it crossed the river onto the more accessible pools at Swineham. Two days later it was joined by a second individual until 23 Sep when one departed. The final sighting at Swineham was on 26 Sep.
One of the most obvious sights of Kimmeridge Bay is Clavell Tower. It was built around 1830 by the Rev John Richards Clavell as an observatory and folly. Clavell lived in the nearby Smedmore House, which still owns the estate today. It is 35 feet high and has four floors. The Tower is now owned by the Landmark Trust. By 2000, the Tower was in real danger of falling into the sea due to coastal erosion. Fortunately, it was saved by the Landmark Trust, who used specialist builders to dismantle it stone by stone, move the tower 25 metres further away from the cliffs and rebuild it again. The stones were all numbered, so that they could be replaced in their original position. The work started in Sep 06 and finished in Feb 08. The Tower is now let by the Landmark Trust as a holiday home to raise money for its ongoing maintenance. It is a reasonable price to stay there considering how unique it is.
